1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image-forming method which employs a light-sensitive material comprising a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound provided on a paper support. The invention also relates to an image-forming method which employs a light-sensitive material comprising a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide and a dye providing substance provided on a paper support.
2. Description of Prior Art
Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 45(1970)-11149 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,275), 47(1972)-20741 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,667) and 49(1974)-10697, and Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Nos. 57(1982)-138632, 57(1982)-142638, 57(1982)-176033, 57(1982)-211146 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,997), 58(1983)-107529 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,637), 58(1983)-121031 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,450) and 58(1983)-169143 describe image forming methods which employ a light-sensitive material comprising a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound provided on a support. In these image-forming methods, when the exposed silver halide is developed using a developing solution, the polymerizable compound is induced to polymerize in the presence of a reducing agent (which is oxidized) to form a polymer image. Thus, these methods need a wet development process employing a developing solution. Therefore the process takes a relatively long time for the operation.
An improved image forming method employing a dry process is described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Nos. 61(1986)-69062 and 61(1986)-73145 (the contents of both publications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2). In this image forming method, a recording material (i.e., light-sensitive material) comprising a light-sensitive layer containing a light-sensitive silver salt (i.e., silver halide), a reducing agent, a cross-linkable compound (i.e., polymerizable compound) and a binder provided on a support is imagewise exposed to form a latent image, and then the material is heated to form a polymer within the area where the latent image of the silver halide has been formed. The above method employing the dry process and the light-sensitive material employable for such method are also described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Nos. 61(1986)-183640, 61(1986)-188535 and 61(1986)-228441.
The above-mentioned image forming methods are based on the principle in which the polymerizable compound is polymerized within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61(1986)-260241 describes another image forming method in which the polymerizable compound within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has not been formed is polymerized. In this method, when the material is heated, the reducing agent functions as polymerization inhibitor within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed, and the polymerizable compound within the other area is polymerized.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,612, European Patent Publication Nos. 076,492A and 079,056A, and Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Nos. 58(1983)-28928, 58(1983)-58543, 58(1983)-79247, 58(1983)-149046, 58(1983)-149047 and 59(1984)-26008 describe other image forming methods which employ a light-sensitive material comprising a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide and a dye providing substance provided on a support. In these image-forming methods, the light-sensitive material is imagewise exposed to light, and simultaneously or thereafter the light-sensitive material is heat-developed to imagewise form or release a diffusible dye by an oxidation-reduction reaction.
As the support for the above-stated light-sensitive materials, a paper is sometimes employed, because a paper is disposable, lightweight and easy to handle.